The team performed well today on our second acclimatization hike up Fuya Fuya. The beginning of the trail starts at a beautiful caldera which is now Laguna de Mojanda. With the view of the lake behind us we began ascending through knee high vegetation and in two hours we were standing on the summit! Although we were in the clouds, we were happy it stayed dry otherwise the soil would have had us sliding all the way back to the van. A short van ride brought us to Otovalo and our haciendas for the evening. The rest of the afternoon provided some time for us to organize our gear in preparation for our transfer up to the Cayambe Hut tomorrow!
RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika & Team
Greetings everyone -
Our team spent the contingency weather day hanging out in Cheget. We had a rather leisurely start with breakfast at 9:30 due to so many climbers being here in the hotel. But no one seemed to mind the extra sleep after yesterday's climb.
We spent the day walking around town, riding ATVs, enjoying the new coffee shop in town and of course horseback riding Russian style!
Right now we're all relaxing before heading out to a celebratory dinner with the team. Hopefully we'll survive the vodka associated with tonight's traditional Russian celebration, hosted by our gracious local tour operator.
Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to heading to beautiful St. Petersburg early tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
July 4, 2017
Greetings all!
Happy 4th of July from the Ishinca Valley at 14,000'! We had great weather for our walk up the Quebrada (Valley) this morning, with outstanding views of the snow and ice covered pyramid of Tocllaraju. And here we are, having built home for the week, ready to start training and climbing in the high peaks around us. And as we thought the day couldn't get any better, we were provided an incredible dinner of TROUT! Our cook, Coronel and Pablo really pulled off an incredible feat. What a treat for us! We're looking forward to an acclimatization day tomorrow. We'll spend some time training in the grass here at Base Camp, as well as go for a short hike to take in the views. Until then, happy 4th, and we'll keep you all in the loop.
RMI Guides Robby, Steve, William and your ESS-Peru team
I climbed Tocllaraju in 1965 from base camp in Ishinka Valley. Fabulous glacier climb. But in those days we were all sick from drinking bad water. Hope your water is better now!!
Berg Heil!
Posted by: Keith Gunnar on 7/5/2017 at 11:03 am
Are you guys climbing Tocllaraju? It is one of the most beautiful mountains to climb. I will
never forget it. Be safe.
June 5, 2017
Day 16 of the hostage crisis and negotiations are at a standstill. Apparently, those that hold the key to the summit have not been impressed with our payment so far. Climbing through a cold and snowy first week and a half impressed no one. Then they would not recognize the currency of toil that got us and all our food and gear to 17,200'. We missed a golden opportunity by a day, as the winds picked up last night, shaking the fabric of our tents and blowing light plumes of snow higher off the mountain.
These conditions entitled the team to breakfast in bed this morning, considering that we left our Posh House at 14,200' to reduce our loads a bit.
But, the sun is shining, we have plenty of food and fuel, and our spirits are still high. After a post breakfast siesta we'll get to work building walls around our new home to keep the tents a little more protected.
We'll be ready to rock this mountain just as soon as she gives us a chance,
Staying warm enough,
RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT
We woke in the shadow of Denali, but the skies were clear and promised sun. Bagels and lox got everything started, and since the sun was shining we made hay. We grabbed 34 bags of food, 17 days worth, and a bunch of gas and moved it all uphill to 10,600 or so, just below 11,000' Camp. The loads were heavy and Ski Hill made us work for it, but compared to yesterday, the loads didn't even compare. Today's work set us up well to move to our 11,000' Camp with reasonable loads and establish our new home! 7,600' Camp has been fun, but we are ready to move on. Loaded quesadillas for dinner have us feeling the oncoming food coma, so for now, over and out from the Kahiltna glacier.
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny, and the team
G’day from Sydney Australia,It’s 20degC and we feel cold !Well on schedule so far- hard work but hopefully enjoying the experience in particular such surroundings.In retirement we feel part of the adventure but without the pain thanks to the regular messages from Mark and Rachel and the great RMI updates - especially the photos - keep safe - we are with you all in spirit.
Posted by: Philip and Yvonne Calvert on 5/19/2017 at 12:14 am
Hi all!
Pete Bilodeaus sis here… Just wanted to say hi! Looks like beautiful weather and unbelievable scenery! Love the blog updates…you all are bad ass!!!
We got up this morning, had a nice breakfast, and departed from Cheget to begin our climb. A quick ten or so minute drive brought us up to Azau, which apparently means something along the lines of "end of the road," where we schlepped all of our gear onto the tram system which eventually brought us up to our home for the next few days. Our camp up here at "The Barrels" is cozy but nice and we've been enjoying the great food from our two Russian cooks Masha and Dasha. Even in the midst of today's shuffle we were able to sneak in a nice hike for a couple hours that brought us up to nearly 14,000'. The weather is looking promising and we're looking forward to another acclimatization tomorrow that should take us even higher on the mountain.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
June 18, 2016 - 12:40 am PT
Hi all, sorry there hasn't been a dispatch since we summited, we've been busy and on the move a lot. The team did a fantastic job climbing the Upper Rib yesterday and we all made the summit just after 7:00 PM. After some hugs, photos, and congratulations we began our descent down to 17 Camp on the West Buttress. Thirteen hours after we started climbing we were crawling into our tents, exhausted but very satisfied with our accomplishment. This morning we woke up early to get low on the mountain before the 50 mph forecasted winds rolled in this afternoon. I am truly amazed at how strong this team is, even after a big summit day everyone climbed very well as we made our way down the Buttress and fixed lines to 14 Camp. Here we took about an hour to retrieve our cache and re pack before we hit the trail to 11 Camp. I thought for sure folks would be tired at 11 camp, but no. We dug up our cache here rigged for traveling with sleds and kept descending. We are currently at the base of Ski Hilll, 7800', getting a little rest and waiting for the cold of the night before we walk the lower Kahiltna Glacier back to the landing strip. Weather permitting we will be on board an airplane first thing in the morning.
Thanks so much for following along throughout our expedition
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Upper West Rib Team
WOW! I just finished reading all the posts and looking at the beautiful pics & I am in awe of all you (collectively) have accomplished! I guess to say u feel “on top of the world” would likely be an understatement! Safe journey to all on ur decent! Can’t wait to hear the stories!
June 9, 2016 - 9:22 pm PT
We woke up this morning to cold clear sky's with a nippy wind. After a quick breakfast we packed camp, made a cache and got rigged to start climbing. Of course at this point it began snowing heavily, the wind picked up and the visibility went down. We pumped the breaks and hung out in Jake's posh tent for a little bit. By noon thirty we called it and decided to set up Camp at 11 again. 10 minutes later another guided team returned from an unsuccessful cache attempt saying that it was really nasty up there! After getting tents up we got together for some fresh brewed coffee and snacks, the truffled gouda cheese was a huge hit.
The forecast for tomorrow is looking better so we are planing on moving up tomorrow.
Thanks for following along
The Upper West Rib Team
May 26, 2016 - 10:04 p.m. PDT
After lots of anticipation we are here on the mountain!! This morning we had our final meal at the roadhouse, followed by good weather news from the pilots at the K2 hangar. The team changed from our street clothes to our action suits and before we knew it we were in the air flying to the glacier. We landed and assembled our mountain of gear in to individual loads. With a nice cloud cover and cool temps we made the decision to get the train moving! Travel was pleasant, though a bit hot when the sun started to peek through near our first camp. We have a strong team and everyone did a fabulous job. We made a tasty meal and are bedding down after a very productive day. Will keep you updated!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
Original Post 6:34 a.m. PST
Hey everyone. This is JJ Justman and JM and Team Aconcagua. The team is on the summit of Aconcagua! Just below 23,000 feet! My voice is a little hoarse but I am going to hold the phone out and we're going to give the team a chance to give a big hooray. [Team in the background.] It was a beautiful day climbing. We are the only ones up here on the summit right now. It's a very quiet day. The weather is crystal clear, not a cloud in the sky, a light breeze. It's supposed to be blowing a little bit more later today. We got an early start and it was a great effort by the team. We still have to get down, but it's a safe route. We'll get back to camp in several hours. You guys, it's been a great adventure. Thanks for following along. We'll touch base again here soon. From the summit of Aconcagua, this is the RMI team saying, "Arrivederci!"
RMI Guide JJ JustmanUpdate 9:54 a.m PST
RMI Guide JJ Justman checked in with the RMI Office. The team is back and high camp safe and sound. Everyone is focusing on staying hydrated and resting. The team will spend the night at high camp and descend to base camp tomorrow morning.
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls from the Aconcagua summit!
Congratulations JJ and team! Can’t believe the weather improved so much since our attempt just a few weeks ago. Enjoy your descent and asado at Pampa de las Lenas. Craig
Posted by: Craig Falkenhagen on 2/11/2016 at 10:23 am
congratulations to team lawler- ken and brad. what an effort! can’t wait to have you back at home.
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I climbed Tocllaraju in 1965 from base camp in Ishinka Valley. Fabulous glacier climb. But in those days we were all sick from drinking bad water. Hope your water is better now!!
Berg Heil!
Posted by: Keith Gunnar on 7/5/2017 at 11:03 am
Are you guys climbing Tocllaraju? It is one of the most beautiful mountains to climb. I will
never forget it. Be safe.
Posted by: Ed Saenz on 7/4/2017 at 9:58 pm
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